Leap Year
by XxSconesxX
Summary: Human AU. Based on the movie Leap Year. Alice wants to marry her lover of four year, and therefore she goes after him to Dublin to propose on 29th February. The only day a woman can propose to a man without being turned down. But when her trip there doesn't go as planned, she get accompanied by Alfred Jones to show her the way. FRUK, eventual USUK. Rated T for safety. Enjoy!


**AN: Hello! This is currently my only fanfiction here. C: It's called Leap Year and is based on the movie with the same name. Though there needed to be a few changes here and there. This is the first chapter.**

**Warnings: In this chapter, none. It's rated T just to be sure.**

**Also, it's FrUk here, I know, but Alfred will come along next chapter, and then we'll see what happens ;D**

**Also, unbetaed. **

**Enjoy!**

Alice Kirkland made his way down to the small, elegant pub down at the corner. It was late winter, or early spring. The sun had starter shining, making it way down the tall buildings slowly but secure, further and further down each day. It was still cold though, and the Brit was wearing her usual beige trench coat, a grey scarf and a simple black dress underneath. Alice was, at the age of 23 a quite successful designer with her hands full. Reaching the pub, she entered after greeting the men outside, and she sat down at the edge of the brown wooden counter desk. One could say she had a hygiene problem, the way she stared at the desk. It was surely full of bacteria and God knows what. The British woman frowned in distaste. Why in the world would her father suggest a meeting in a place like /this/?

With a silent groan, Alice rummaged through her bag and pulled out a wipe, wiping it over the desk in front of her. So much better. As she waited for her father to arrive, the Brit thought about the resent events the past week. Her and Francis had been trying to buy a house, but no one would sell it to them. The owners had been very old fashioned, refusing to sell it to people unless they were married. Alice and Francis weren't, yet, Alice surely wouldn't mind. They'd been together for a long time, but she waited for Francis to ask. As she and Francis left their 'possible new home', the Frenchman pulled out his phone to take a picture of Alice in front of the entrance. This was right before Alice headed to a dressing shop to buy herself a new dress. Francis kissed her cheek, mumbling something about not being late for their date later the same afternoon. They both knew Alice's father was rather sloppy and it wouldn't be surprising if the man forgot all about meeting Alice in said pub.

"I have to see my father, I haven't seen him in weeks," Alice reasoned, looking contently at the older man with clear green eyes. Francis grinned at her. "I just don't want you to be late for our very special dinner, rosbif." The Frenchman was dead set on giving Alice odd nicknames, yet coming from the blonde haired man they sounded quite nice and calming. Even rosbif. "You know I don't like surprises." "You'll like this one." And then Francis headed off to work, his meetings and plans. They weren't too involved in each other's work life, so unless they decided to talk about it, work was left unsaid. Alice watched as her lover walked away with a small smile before realizing she was staring. She quickly collected herself as she looked around to see if anyone had seen her. No one around. /Good/. She took a deep breath and headed for the shop.

Which brought her to the other event, as Alice was buying herself a new dress. The dress was lovely, strapless and reaching down to her knees. Really elegant if she could say so herself. And the dark purple colour really added to her emerald green eyes. A close friend of her, Lovina Vargas, barged into the room, excitement written all over her face. "Oh Alice, this is going to blow your mind!" The Italian woman grinned, holding quite a few shopping bags. "What did you buy?" The Brit asked, glancing at the bags, then up at her best friend. Surely something good. She hadn't seen Lovina so excited in a while. "A lot, I got a lot. But that's not what I wanted to tell you. " After the brown haired woman had calmed down and put the bags on the floor, she exhaled and looked at Alice. Alice couldn't do much other than stare at her, a bit suspicious as to what she was going to inform her. There was a brief silence in the room, and Alice grew more and more curious.

"Guess who I saw coming out of The Prisco's. " (The Prisco's some expensive store for jewellery and such)

"….Who?" Alice asked, looking at her.

"/Francis/."

"You did? /When/?" Alice took a few breaths.

"On the way here! The car was stuck in traffic, I looked over and he was carrying that little, red bag." The blonde haired woman inhaled, trying to comprehend the new information. Francis in The Prisco's. Her Francis. With a small, red bag! She felt like she was going to faint.

"There's only one reason people go to The Prisco's. " Lovina continued, her expression quite serious. "You're going to have a bigger engagement ring than me, you big jerk!" That confirmed Alice's thoughts. Francis had bought her an engagement ring! She was going to be engaged.

"Oh my God…" was the only thing she managed to say. She had no idea, though it would explain his 'surprise' for their date later. The surprise she was definitely going to enjoy. And by God she was going to love this one! That's why she made sure to not be too late when it came to chatting with her father. She needed plenty of time to ready herself to be engaged.

Now seated in the pub, Alice never noticed the man sitting beside her who slowly but certainly inched closer.

"Can I marry you?" The obviously drunk man asked, and Alice turned her attention to him. What? She simply stared at the obese, sweaty and greasy man with a slight hint of disgust, before simply replying with a "No thank you." The man sighed and turned back to his gin tonic. "Getting engaged," just so he wouldn't be upset. And just then her father arrived. James Kirkland was a man in his early fifties, single, and you know like most guys, sloppy. He was dressed in too small sweatpants, a white and grey shirt and a beige jacket, but he wore the biggest smile ever. Because he was just like that or because he overheard Alice's last statement was unknown. He stopped, staring at her, obviously happy.

"Engaged?" Alice hadn't even noticed her father arriving, so she turned to him. "Dad." "My daughter getting engaged? Garcon! Champagne!" James pulled his only daughter into a tight hug, ordering the expensive drink to celebrate. Finally. Maybe he'd have some grandchildren soon? It was about time, he was getting old after all. As he sat down, he noticed the man sitting next to Alice. Probably him, they were sitting so close. James leaned over, holding out his hand. "James Kirkland, pleasure to meet you." The stranger gingerly shook the older man's hand as he downed the rest of his drink. Alice just stared at him with an unreadable imagination. Really, dad? Of all the men in the world I could have married, you think it's that one? "She's been with a guy for four years, what is he thinking? I proposed to her mother after a week!" The stranger just laughed and replied. "I proposed to her after half and hour", and then, just then, James realized that this was probably not his son-in-law. "So… Where's the lucky guy?" Alice looked at him, a bit startled. "Oh, he's packing. Going to Dublin for an cardiology convention." "Good thing he finally got around to do it, so you wouldn't have to follow him to Ireland this weekend. It's leap year, you know." The woman shook her head dejected. "Do not-" she ordered. "- tell that story again." She'd heard it just too many times. Even though it was a romantic story and a nice one. But her father had just told it too many times. "It's a family myth." And that was all. But James insisted that it was true. Apparently her grandma Jane had proposed to her grandpa Tom. And 29th of February was the only day a man couldn't say no to a woman proposing. And that's how they got married. It's old Irish folklore. It didn't take long until Alice had to leave for her date with Francis. "But I just got here!" Her father complained. "Yes, but you were late. We said 7." Alice packed her things together and kissed her father's cheek as goodbye before she went to get dressed for her date.

It was a nice evening. Just starting to get dark out, yet the sky was clear. Not a cloud in sight. The restaurant was a fancy one; the light was dimmed down, the curtains were light blue with small dots probably supposed to look like stars when it was late at night. It was almost full, the people there chatting to each other, and the aura was calming. This was where Alice enjoyed it. Restaurants were much better than shitty pubs. Alice was wearing her new purple dress with her long blonde hair pulled up into a neat, elegant bum. She sat on the opposite side of Francis, who were looking at her intently with his usual gentle smile. "You always got it figured out for us." He said fondly, with clear French accent. "Even with my chaotic schedule. You know I appreciate it, oui?" Alice felt her cheeks warm up under his gaze, and he never let it move around. It never left her. Alice looked right back at him. "So.." The Frenchman started, and Alice could feel her heart beat faster. It really was happening, and it was happening now. She smiled wider. She could hardly believe this. The British lady watched as Francis pulled something out from a pocket on the inside of his jacket, and Alice's smile was just getting wider and wider as he pulled out a small box. But instead of the usual proposal way, with him getting down on one knee and ask her to marry him, the blonde haired man reached over the table with the box. "This is for you." Well, she would survive even if he didn't ask her traditionally. Oh God, she was just so happy, she felt like she was dying! Francis looked at her expectantly as she picked up the box, inspecting it for a moment before opening it, and inside there were….. Earrings. She couldn't help but let her shoulders slump down a little. No beautiful ring. Instead earrings, for her ears. Yet, they were beautiful, they really were, but… Alice couldn't help but feel a little down. So, no engagement yet, huh? Just then the sound of Francis' phone buzzed through the slightly uncomfortable silence, but she didn't pay much attention to that conversation. She was thinking more about the earrings and how she was still not engaged. Francis hadn't gotten a clue. Alice let out a slight sigh as Francis hung up on the phone, looking at the earrings, then at his lover. "Why don't you try them on?" Huh? Oh, yes. "Of course." She faked a smile as she took off the earrings she had been wearing and replaced them with the new ones. After all, Alice wouldn't want him to know that she was, well, unhappy about it. She really wanted to be engaged, and she /really/ thought Francis was going to ask this time.

As Francis was about to strike up another conversation, he got a text from work. His plane was leaving earlier and he had no choice but to leave now if he was going to reach it in time. He explained the situation to Alice, who just nodded and glanced down at the table. "Forgive me?" He asked, in the most innocent voice he could muster, and the Brit smiled at him. "Of course, darling." Well, so much for that date.

Francis just nodded and stood up, reaching down to kiss her. "I'm so sorry, Chèrie." She tried to at least act positive and that it was all fine, so she told him to run for the plane to which he only laughed and hurried to the counter to pay. Alice stayed a bit longer as the sound of her father's voice echoed in her mind, talking about leap year proposals. She'd have to look into that.


End file.
